Tokyo: Magical Girl Shatters My Dream of Going Public

Inside the hot spring hotel.

Yukimura Hakuka and Hoshino Saki had already checked in and were walking out of the corridor where their room was located.

Hoshino Saki walked ahead, holding a lightweight action camera with the lens pointed directly at herself.

She adjusted her angle, and immediately flashed her signature bright smile as she spoke to the camera.

"Ciallo～(∠・ω)⌒☆! Everyone, I've now arrived at the legendary area of ​​'Highway Granny'!"

She turned the camera lens slightly toward the deep night outside the corridor window.

"See those mountains over there? Legend has it that the 'Highway Granny' haunts this area. Tomorrow! I'm going to verify this story!"

She spoke in a lively tone and gave a V-sign to the camera.

Yukimura Hakuka, who was following behind her, shrank his shoulders almost the instant Hoshino raised his camera.

She subtly moved a few steps to the side, completely out of the camera's view, and hid in the shadows of the corridor lights.

Listening to the students' enthusiastic plans, she subconsciously raised her hand and gently pressed it against her stomach.

My stomach is starting to hurt again...

Am I... completely unsuitable to be a teacher...?

He meant to persuade her not to do something so dangerous, but instead of stopping her, he ended up... inexplicably coming along too.

If the school finds out that she came with the students to film these kinds of supernatural adventure videos...

Being called in for a private reprimand is probably the lightest punishment one can receive.

and……

The two of them stayed for two nights... For the next two weeks or so, they'll probably have to rely on discounted instant noodles from convenience stores to get by.

She sighed silently.

Negative thoughts kept popping up.

Or... I could resign from the school after I get back and go back to my hometown in Akita...

The two walked to the vicinity of the front desk.

Just then, two female guests who had just checked in were standing nearby.

She had short hair, wore hot pants, and her legs were toned and her tanned skin suggested she exercised regularly.

Another person, wearing a loose knitted cardigan, had a casual demeanor, yet exuded an eye-catching flamboyance.

The two people's attire and demeanor were completely out of place in this quaint inn, clearly indicating that they were quite well-off.

The moment Xuecun's gaze met his, he quickly lowered his head as if fleeing.

She subconsciously took half a step behind her student Hoshino, hiding herself even more deeply.

Those bright and dazzling people are from a completely different world than her.

Her gaze quickly shifted away, drifting blankly towards the hotel entrance—

But then it suddenly froze.

The wooden sliding door at the entrance had just been closed.

Three figures are walking in.

Upon seeing the two girls behind him, Yukimura, as their teacher, immediately recognized them.

Aren't those Chinatsu Suzukawa and Kaoru Suzukawa?

And those walking ahead of them...

He was a tall, handsome young man with a profound demeanor.

Xuecun blinked, wondering if he had seen wrong.

It's so late... what are they doing here?

And with a strange man?

In that instant of her stunned silence—

Hoshino Saki, who was standing next to them, recognized the two of them. Her eyes lit up, and she raised her hand without hesitation and waved vigorously towards the door.

"Huh—!? Isn't that the student council president and Chinatsu?!"

Saki's voice broke the subtle silence in the entryway.

Several pairs of eyes immediately converged on them.

Taking advantage of this brief moment, Kurokawa stepped forward half a step, landing perfectly between Kaoru and the two magical girls.

He turned his head and whispered in a voice only Xun behind him could hear:

"Their senses are very sharp."

The voice was kept extremely low, but Xun heard it clearly.

Xun's pupils contracted, and she abruptly looked up at Kurokawa's back.

He...has already seen through my thoughts?

After a brief moment of shock, she immediately closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and forcefully suppressed the emotions surging in her eyes.

Chinatsu's face lit up with surprise when she saw the two people at the end of the corridor: "Sakihiro? And Yukimura-sensei?"

Hoshino Saki had finished filming and jogged over, casually stuffing the action camera into her bag.

"What a coincidence!" Her eyes darted between Chinatsu, Kaoru, and Kurokawa. "What are you all doing here?"

In a moment of impulsiveness, Qianxia blurted out, "We're working."

Work?

Two active female high school students were spotted at a suburban hot spring inn late at night with a young man...

It's hard not to make certain associations with this.

"And this is..." Hoshino looked at Kurokawa, his eyes filled with ambiguity.

She curled her lips into a knowing, gossipy smile, then turned her gaze to Kurokawa, subtly hooking her little finger and winking.

The meaning couldn't be clearer.

They clearly misunderstood what kind of work the two were doing.

Chika hadn't quite grasped the implication yet. She opened her mouth, ready to honestly continue, "This is my club..."

The word "head" in "president" was not uttered yet.

Kurokawa gently raised his hand and tapped Chinatsu on the back of the head.

"Huh?" Chika winced in pain, clutching her head, and turned to look at him blankly.

Kurokawa coughed lightly, interrupting at the opportune moment, his tone both helpless and reproachful: "Chika, don't talk nonsense, you're causing misunderstandings."

He turned to Hoshino, his expression natural: "Nice to meet you. I'm a distant cousin of Chika and Kaoru. I'm in Tokyo for work and brought them out for a couple of days to relax. We're not related as you've mistakenly thought."

Distant cousin?

Hoshino Saki raised an eyebrow.

The Suzukawa sisters' family situation was no secret in their grade.

Because of what happened a year ago, their relatives have all cut off contact with them and hardly ever interact with them anymore.

Now, suddenly, this young and handsome "cousin" appears?

She clearly didn't believe it and wanted to ask again.

Behind him, Yukimura Byakuka had already stepped forward.

She pushed up her slipped glasses, her gaze scrutinizing Kurokawa: "But she just said she was 'working'."

"Really?" Kurokawa's expression remained unchanged as he looked at Chinatsu, his tone relaxed. "I guess it's because I told them before I came that getting proper rest is also part of a student's 'job.' This girl, she always misses the point."

Chinatsu finally realized what was happening and quickly nodded in agreement, cooperating perfectly.

Xuecun's doubts, however, remained.

Kurokawa stepped forward, his attitude frank: "Nice to meet you. My name is Kurokawa Yoru. By seniority, I'm these two children's uncle."

Xuecun looked at Xun beside him as if seeking confirmation.

Kaoru had calmed down and, meeting her teacher's gaze, nodded gently: "Yes, Yukimura-sensei."

Xuecun's tense shoulders relaxed almost imperceptibly as he let out a soft breath.

She seemed to have regained some of her responsibility as a teacher and stood up straighter.

Kurokawa then asked, "I still don't know how to address you two?"

"Hoshino Saki! Classmate!" Hoshino raised her hand cheerfully.

"I am their teacher, Yukimura Hakuka." Yukimura's voice was still soft, yet clear.

Bai Hua—!

These two words, like fine needles, suddenly pierced Kurokawa's consciousness.

His gaze paused almost imperceptibly, landing on Xuecun's lowered profile, and then, as if uncertain, he repeated the question:

"Are you...Professor Bai Hua?"

This teacher actually shares the same name as that magical girl, [Bai Hua].

Is it a coincidence?